South African Trevor Noahformer host of ‘The Daily Show’, won the prestigious Dutch Erasmus Award, becoming the first comedian to receive the honor since Charlie Chaplin in 1965.

The annual prize is awarded by the board of directors of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation to persons or organizations who have made an outstanding contribution to culture, society, or the social sciences in Europe and the rest of the world.

The award is named after the Dutch philosopher, scholar and humanitarian Desiderios Erasmus, who lived from 1466 to 1536.

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation in its announcement clarifies that Trevor Noah, 39, is being honored with the award “for his inspiring contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly’ (Morias Egomion), which takes its name from Erasmus’ book, the which is full of humor, social criticism and political satire.”

“With his insightful, playful and inclusive political comedy, Noah in the eyes of the jury, upholds the ‘Erasmian Spirit’,” the statement underlines.

Trevor Noah, who rose to fame as a stand-up comedian in his native South Africa, announced last year that he was leaving The Daily Show after seven years.

The Dutch institution noted that the launch of the late-night satirical talk show coincided with the US presidency of Donald Trump, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“With his insightful reflections on these issues, he has garnered a young, diverse and global audience and brought a breath of fresh air to a highly polarized media landscape,” the Foundation says.

The prize, which comes with a €150,000 cash prize, has previously been awarded to former Czech President Vaclav Havel, British artist Grayson Perry and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson.